In the glut of recent, independent puzzle games, how does any given game
distinguish itself from the pack? Don't ask Unmechanical, the newest
puzzler from Talawa Games. With its inspiration displayed so clearly on
its sleeve, it struggles to stand out. Yet it's still a fun and clever
game with slick visuals and varied puzzles, making it a stimulating
trifle that will occupy a pleasant afternoon.
Unmechanical's story is told entirely through the visual gameplay;
there's no text, no dialogue, and very few symbol or pictogram cues. You
play as a little robot with a propeller attached to its head, which
allows you to fly around the game's levels at will. As the game
progresses, you receive upgrades that give you new powers, generally
allowing you to traverse new terrain (such as underwater) or interact
with physics objects differently.
For the most part, though, you have only one thing you can do: grab
stuff. Using a short-range tractor beam, you can pick up rocks, steel
girders, flaming balls of death, and mirrors, among other things. Most
puzzles involve positioning these things in various ways to solve
puzzles and open doors or receive power spheres. The power spheres are
used to power Unmechanical's biomechanical devices (many of which look
like human organs). Powering these devices unlocks new areas and more
puzzles, and reveals, indirectly, the game's backstory.
Unmechanical feels and plays a lot like a combination of
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet and
Machinarium,
if you know those games. If you don’t, imagine a standard platformer,
add a heavy dose of physics puzzles, take away any combat elements, and
tell the story entirely with pictograms. Unfortunately, this last part
is where Unmechanical stumbles. Often, the pictograms are confusing or
outright unhelpful, and you're likely to find yourself at a loss--not
because you can't figure out how to solve a puzzle, but because you
simply don't know where to go next or what you're supposed to be doing.
Eventually you'll get there by process of elimination, but some
indicator arrows or other simplifiers would've reduced some frustration.
The puzzles in the game are, for the most part, excellent amd varied,
and do a great job of challenging your noggin without being frustrating.
One puzzle requires you to play a put-the-ball-in-the-hole game using a
gravity-reversal machine; another requires you to search out the right
combination of chemical components by observing the world around you and
making deductions. Sure, there's plenty of the standard:
press-button-with-heavy-object puzzles or bounce-beam-with-mirrors
puzzles, but even these are laid out in a way that won't drive you
crazy.
It's impressive how the basic themes of stacking and combining themes
remain so fresh, but Unmechanical rarely feels like it's retreading
territory. There are a few exceptions to the well-conceived standard,
however, particularly with regard to puzzles requiring you to balance
objects on each other (where the physics engine gets annoying), but by
and large you'll find the puzzles enjoyable and clever.
The puzzle diversity is matched by varied, beautifully rendered levels
ranging from dank tunnels to hellish magma caves. While there's little
in the way of interaction with "living" things (that is, other
characters), you'll appreciate the way the artists play with activity in
the background and draw your eye to more than just the puzzle you're
working on at a given time. Indeed, art often clues you in as to how
best to handle a puzzle. Pictograms don't simply spell out answers, mind
you; you must carefully observe visual cues.
One early puzzle, for example, requires you to restore power to a lever
that has got a severed, live wire. Below the wire is a large pool of
water that undulates when an object from the background falls into it.
You can solve the puzzle by dropping more massive objects in it,
displacing the water up over the live wire and creating a makeshift
connection to restore the lever to functionality. Visuals in
Unmechanical are more than just a pretty face.
The rest of the game's features focus on minimalism. Controls are easy
with either a gamepad or the keyboard, but all you can do is move or
grab stuff anyway. Sound and music are unremarkable but competently
handled throughout the game, and the story, such as it is, unfolds bit
by bit in a way that keeps you interested if not enthusiastic.
Otherwise, there's not much to tell: Unmechanical is a fun and clever
game that treads familiar ground. And yet it's thoughtful enough to
inspire your intellect and draw you into its world. You may not miss it
once you leave it behind, but Unmechanical is a pleasant puzzler that
keeps you busy for the few hours that i